


Always There When I Needed You.

by Kittindear



Category: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (TV)
Genre: F/M, I feel like he literally left me and that's just... gross, I love NuGreg that is all, definitely just here to make me feel better, fictional characters have never broken my heart the way Greg Serrano did, update since NuGreg
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-21
Updated: 2018-12-16
Packaged: 2019-08-27 01:41:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16692979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kittindear/pseuds/Kittindear
Summary: To say Rebecca missed Greg would be an understatement, but she moved on. She's with Josh and its everything she could've wanted. Right?Picks up when Josh proposed to Rebecca, which I've pretty much set as 6 months after Greg left. Will kind of run co-currently with the story line, I'm just adding in where I think Greg would've been a welcome reprieve. I don't know I just miss him.





	1. Words with a Friend

When things got too hard, she always found herself here. A small reminder that she could be loved, even when it hurt. A reminder that she deserved better than the ringer the men in her life were insisting on putting her through.

Of course, it was also a painful reminder of how badly that kind of love could ruin her. She started coming as some masochistic penance to herself, as a small reminder of how quickly things could go to hell if she wasn’t careful.

LAX. Pieces of her heart still littered that floor. A metaphor sure, but sure as the Greg sized hole in heart, it didn’t feel like one. It would be lying to say that she didn’t start coming to wait to see if he appeared, by some miracle of love, proclaiming how he couldn’t survive without her. But instead weeks went by and she stopped coming less and less. She could never say it was the last time because she still couldn’t let him go.

She let him go, at least as much as she could. She let herself fall into Josh, telling herself this what she always wanted. It was, wasn’t it? Still, some nights, she found her mind trailing back to that airport, remembering the pain in his eyes, how it took every ounce of willpower in his body to walk away. Shit show or not, this was love. Real, painful, raw love.

When Josh proposed, even with how excited she tried to convince herself that she was, she found herself here again, back at the airport. By this point, the security guards knew her, and just left her alone. That night, she pulled her phone out, and without even thinking about it Greg’s contact info was displayed prominently on the bright screen. She let out a watery chuckle at the image she’d chosen to use as his contact photo. After a particularly rousing roll in the hay, she managed to get a candid of him, genuine smile, sex hair and all. She was filled with a rush warmth as she giggled to herself.

Her thumb lingered over the dial icon, hesitating a moment before moving to the left a pressing the message icon.

“ **I hope everything’s going great in Atlanta, Josh and I are getting married!** ” She typed quickly. Shaking her head sharply, she held the back button until the prompt was clear again.

“ **How are you doing? I know we left on a bad note, but I just wanted to extend the olive branch.** ” She groaned inwardly and again erased the entire message.

“ **I miss you.** ” She typed the words, knowing every letter was the truth. Her eyes burned as they filled with tears. She shook her head, trying to steady her breathing. As she moved to erase this message as well, but missed, hitting the send button instead. The sent message tone sent her eyes wide as she stared at her phone.

_Delivered._

_Read._

She threw the phone in the passenger seat turning her engine over, trying to pretend the last twenty seconds hadn’t just happened. She sped out of the parking lot trying not to grab the phone next to her. She knew what his reaction would be. ‘It’s just more Bunchsanity’ or, more than likely, an eye roll before deleting the text completely. When she pulled into her driveway, she turned off her car and rested her forehead against her hands. She tried to keep her breathing even as she reached her trembling hand for the phone.

“ **Ditto.** ”

 

\--

Getting a text from Rebecca just then, right when he needed it the least, stilled him to his core.

“ **I miss you.** ”

Even for as a short of a text as it was, he managed to read it over and over. Even after the hundredth reread, he couldn’t believe what he was reading.

“ **I miss _you._** ”

A thousand toxic thoughts came to mind immediately.  ‘Something go wrong with her and Chan… again?’ or, ‘Wrong number?’ before a less obvious, but more heart pounding thought entered his mind. ‘She misses me’

Getting on that plane was the second hardest thing he’d ever done. He wished he’d remember the cardinal rule of leaving, never turn around. The image of her sobbing, watching him ascend to a life without her, hurt him more than he could’ve imagined. He wished he could just feel some kind of vindication that he finally hurt her in a way comparable to the way she’d hurt him but instead it just left him raw inside. It took everything in him not to go right back to her just like it was taking everything not to go to her right now.

“ **Ditto** ” was the only response he could muster. He justified it by being just distant enough to try not to give her any crazy ideas (though a small part of him hoped she would anyway) but would satiate his need to take care of her. It was the least he could do after calling their love a shit show.

He tossed his phone down on the open book in front of him. Infinitely more tired than he was ten minutes ago, he knew any studying for the night had been postponed whether he liked it or not. He groaned as he stood up, stretching out his cramped muscles as he made his way to the refrigerator. As he wrenched the door open, it was still a weird feeling not to reach in and grab a cold glass bottle, instead grabbing a plastic bottle of water. Tossing the lid aside, he downed half. He tried to resist being disappointed by the taste, taking a short breath before downing the rest.

He pulled out his phone, not surprised to find no response. He exited the messaging app, bringing him back to his home screen. A small blue icon bearing a ‘W’ caught his eye. He couldn’t help but smile at the memory of lying next to her in bed, debating the legitimacy of the word gasiety. He forced himself not to think of where that memory went, opting instead to open the app instead. It had been 181 days since their last game had timed out, and go figure it had been on his move. If that wasn’t fitting, then he didn’t know what was.

Before he could talk himself out of it, he started a new game with her. It was a way to be close without the commitment. He could do that, right?

Thoria. Eighteen points.

The ball was in her court now.

 

\--

 

The notification broke her from her reverie. Sitting around her island counter were her best friends, Valencia and Heather. She was trying to force herself to enjoy the company, but she couldn’t stop her mind from drifting back to Greg. She never replied, opting instead to delete the text completely and try to pretend it never happened. She glanced at her phone, surprised to see the game invite. Her mind went into overdrive instantly. Did he still want her? Did she still want him? Pretending she didn’t wasn’t the hardest thing to do with Josh making a surprise appearance at the door. She finished her turn, going for eye to run co-current over thoria. She hit send and greeted the love of her life.

“Becks! I wanted to surprise you!” He said, making a beeline for her. She watched in the corner of her eye as Valencia and Heather eyerolled simultaneously. Valencia made her excuses to leave as quickly as possible and Heather retreated back to her room. She felt the panic set as in as she lost her buffers and she was left alone with Josh, smiling his goofy smile that used to melt her heart. No, it still melted her heart.

Didn’t it?

“I got us some fondue! Hopefully we can actually finish it this time.” He said happily, albeit ignorantly. He may have blocked that confusing night from his memory but it was still a tender wound for her. It reminded her though, that she had gone through so she could be in this moment right now. She smiled serenely, watching Josh bustle around the kitchen, getting everything prepared for their epic feast. She was happy right? This is what happy felt like. Her heart leapt from her chest when her phone buzzed again.

“Abelias” for twenty two points stretching from the a in ‘thoria’.

The memory continued in her mind.

Josh leaving.

Her crying on the floor.

Until _he_ showed up.

Like _he_ always did for her.

Greg.

She studied the board a moment before playing “ojime” off the e in “abelias.” She couldn't resist smiling and biting her tongue in excitement. 41 points. Take that Serrano.

“Whatcha smilin’ about babe?” Josh asked, breaking her internal victory song. “Is it another red panda? God, they are just the cutest.” He sighed happily, lost momentarily in red panda thoughts. He shook his head to bring him back down to Earth before clapping his hands in excitement. “Everything’s ready. You ready to gorge on some coagulated cheese?” She smiled, switching her phone to silent mode and setting it facedown on the countertop. This was her happy, right?

Right?

 

\--

 

The game continued and Greg was trying to ignore how happy even the smallest interaction with her made him.

Qaid.

Wharfed.

Egos

Fetish.

Heat raised under his collar, as a small smile tickled his cheek. He pressed send sitting the phone down. It was clearly the best option for the most points, landing on a double word and double letter score. Twenty-eight points. He was trying to force the memory of their three day ruining of each other where they had explored a lot of different… twenty eight pointers. He wished he could’ve seen her face when she saw it. Would she remember? Well, of course she would. Would it even affect her like it was him right now? His phone chimed.

Key.

Acted.

Butut.

He scoffed at his phone, opening the internal messaging system.

“ **Are you sure you’re not cheating?** ” He sent before he could stop himself.

Porns. Twenty-eight points, again and a nice chuckle for himself.

“ **No, are you twelve?** ” Her reply read.

Nonuses. Eighty-three points. She was winning now but somehow he didn’t care.

Garron.

Deriding for one hundred and ten points. His jaw dropped. Okay, she had to be cheating.

“ **You’ve been playing without me.** ” He sent before studying the board again.

Smith. She’d won this one, but there would be a rematch. His phone buzzed with her reply.

“ **Didn’t have much of a choice.** ” She responded simply. His chest ached at the words but he didn’t respond.

Glaur. What did she have, a dictionary next to her? He decided against berating her. The rest of the game was spent making whatever words he could find. She kicked his ass fair and square. 597 to 358.

“ **It’s been awhile since I’ve play. Good game.** ” He messaged her. He hesitated a moment before typing out another response.

“ **Rematch?** ”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Greg gets Rebecca's invitation to her wedding.

Buried in a sea of junk mail and school stuff, there was an email that hit him like a bus.

 

Josh Chan and Rebecca Bunch cordially invite you to 

celebrate the union of two fires finally united into one bright flame.

Two weeks from Sunday.

 

Rebecca was going to marrying Josh Chan. She must be so pleased with herself. Getting him to think that she actually cared for him, that she actually missed him? Ever the fool to get sucked into Bunchsanity again. He found himself kicking himself for ever thinking he could get Rebecca’s attention away from Josh Chan. Still, he couldn’t ignore the fact that the email was sent two days after her first reaching out to him. He tried to ignore the niggling part of his brain that suggested that maybe, just maybe, she was having cold feet.

He grabbed his phone, quickly navigating to her section in his messages. It was still only the two, “ **I miss you** ” and “ **Ditto** ” as they did most of their conversing in the messenger on Words With Friends. He had so much he wanted to say but he didn’t quite know how to put it into words. He backed out of the messages and navigated to his “best friend” Josh.

“ **Hey man, heard about you and Bunch. Congrats.** ” He typed, trying to quell the rage that was boiling within. Hitting send, he was left to reflected on how much he hated that he was so mad. He left her behind and he would have to be a fool to think that she waited for him. He all but told her that yes, he loved her, but not enough to make it work. His recovery and his future didn’t have room for her in it. He spent a lot of time in group talking about how much he missed her, only for them to reassure him she was toxic for him, that she would only continue breaking his heart. He had accepted it, logically, but that still didn’t quell his love for her.

“ **Hey, thanks. You think you’ll be able to make it? It would be great to see you man.** ” Josh replied with a buzz. Greg sighed, sitting his phone down. He wanted to be there for his friend but could he watch the woman he loved walk down the aisle to a man that he was sure was never going to make her happy? Not that he had much room to talk, not with his current track record. He backed out of his conversation with Josh, going back to Rebecca’s.

“ **Thanks for the invite to the wedding. I guess you’re finally getting everything you’ve ever wanted.** ” He sent spitefully, regretting his harshness as soon as the message sent. Three bouncing dots appeared signalling her reply.

“ **Yeah, need a date that day, you busy?** ” She replied. He laughed, letting out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

“ **You sure you wanna hit up another wedding with me? Last one didn’t go so well if memory serves.** “ He replied.

“ **Damn, I guess I’ll just have to go with my second choice.** ” She replied, accompanied with a frowny face emoji. His heart raced at the message, and he read and reread it to make sure he was reading it right. Her wording had to just be a joke, right? Throwing the phone down on the couch he took up pacing, unsure of how to respond, or even react. It's been months since he’d last wanted a drink this bad, and as he paced, he found himself dialing his sponsor. After three straight to voicemails, he got the message. Staring at his phone, heart racing, he decided to just called her.

_ Trill… _

_ Trill… _

_ Tri-- _

“Greg?” A timid voice said. His heart raced at the sound.

“Hey Bunch.” He said hesitantly. Suddenly unsure of why he’d even called in the first place, he prayed her inability to stop talking would kick in any minute.

“How’s Atlanta?” She asked cautiously, trying to find any kind of conversation that would even border on light.

“It’s alright, I suppose.” He shrugged. “How’s West Covina? Finding everything you’ve ever wanted up there?” He asked, trying to resist the bitterness he could taste in his words.

“I guess-- I mean, of course. How are your classes? Are you the oldest in your class?” She asked hurriedly with a dash of snark.

“Surprisingly, no I’m not.” He chuckled.

The air was heavy with words left unsaid. He wanted to ask her if she was happy, wanted to ask her if she was sure what she was doing was the right thing. The silence droned on for what felt like hours before she spoke again.

“Will you be at the wedding?” She asked nervously. He sighed, rubbing his eyes into his palms trying to wage the war from inside.

“I want to.” He admitted, voice low. “I just don’t know if I can.” His voice was raw, trying to fight the image of Josh standing at the altar with her instead of him. It hurt him more than he’d ever admit outloud.

“Is it a financial thing? I can buy you a ticket, get you a hotel, whatever you need.” She assured him. Silence fell again as Greg was unsure what to say. “I just, I know Josh would want to see you.”

“Let me see if I need to move somethings around, I’ll let you know okay?” He told her. The things that might need moved around were more along the lines of emotions, but he wouldn’t tell her that.

“I-We’d be happy to see you again. It's been too long.” She admitted sadly.

“I’ll let you go, Bunch.” He told her.

“No Greg, wait.” She called out but he hung up the phone. This was textbook destructive behavior. He couldn’t keep doing this to himself. He flips on his tv hoping he can find something on Netflix to get his mind off of this tornado of woman.

 

~

 

Rebecca threw her phone down on her bed, frustration boiling over. Why couldn’t Serrano just listen to her, even once. Sure, she wasn’t being honest, she was desperate to see Greg. Not because she was still in love with him. She was in love with Josh and dammit they were never gonna have problems again. Her seeing Greg was just to assure herself that she didn’t have any lingering feelings for the tall, sardonic and handsy Italian. 

No. No. No. She wasn’t thinking anything like that. She wasn’t thinking about how good it felt when he brought her to his eye level. Or how his hands felt against her soft skin.

No, none of that. She thought of how happy she felt with Josh. Although, he never had to pick her up… but still, his hands. She loved feeling them all over her. They were coarse and rough after years of slinging drinks for a living — wait no Josh only played bartender for about a week or two. She was thinking of someone else.

Resolving to stop that train of thoughts in its tracks, she stood up quickly and made a beeline for the bottle of wine Paula had brought by to celebrate the engagement. Pouring a glass, she opted to plant herself right in front of the TV. Flipping through the channels, she found 13 Going on 30 just starting. Even she couldn’t ignore the irony of the moment but as it was a favorite of hers, she settled in.

Josh came home from Aloha about halfway through the movie, offering a welcome distraction from the sea of emotions she was getting caught up in. That’s what she loved about Josh, he was always there for her. He joined her on the couch, letting her crawl up under his arm as she desperately tried to kiss her pain of missing Greg away. It wasn’t working. Before she knew it, she was comparing notes and everything was coming up Serrano.

_ God. Dammit.  _

She had to put a stop to this. She had to deal with these unresolved feelings. Still, holding Greg in her mind as she kissed Josh resulted in her mounting herself on his lap kissing him with a passion that surprised even her.

Forty-five minutes later, they were panting in her bed, coming down from a wonderful release. Still, as she ventured into the kitchen to find some kind of sustenance, she found her movie still playing.

“Matt, I am not the awful person that I know that I was. I don't even know that person. And I'd- I'd like to believe - I have to believe that if you knew that, if in your heart you, you really really knew that, you wouldn't be getting ready to marry someone right now unless that someone were me.” The character Jenna told her best friend. Almost immediately, tears stung her eyes and she couldn’t help but fantasize about Greg saving her from herself. She shook her head sharply, wiping the tears away and stilling herself with her mantra.

“I’m happy. This is what happy feels like.” She reminds herself. Flicking the TV off, she grabs her trusty midnight bagel and pops it in the toaster. “Everything is going to be okay, I got what I always wanted.”

_ Didn’t she? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so so so much for reading and if you feel like it, please throw me a comment or anything, it really helps me propel through my terrible attention span.


	3. Chapter 3

“My name is Greg, I’m six months sober and I’m an alcoholic.”

“Hi Greg.” The group said.

“Six months ago I did the hardest thing I’ve ever done and decided to quit drinking. I was using it to get away from my emotions and it was destroying my relationships. You’ve heard me talk about Rebecca and what happened with her at the night of the wedding. It was a wake up call.” Greg spoke solemnly. “Five months ago I did the second hardest thing I’ve ever done and walked away from Rebecca, the only woman I’m pretty sure I’ve ever loved. I did it because even though I loved her, I need to love myself a little more.” Greg’s voice hitched in his throat, a sharp pain hitched in his heart. “She’s getting married in a week. I don’t think she’s happy, and I’ve been invited. I know I would be walking into a dangerous situation for myself but I can’t help but feel like I should be there for her. Partially, I feel like if I see her, I can see that she’s happy and finally move on and close that chapter of my life. I know that is wishful thinking. She’s offered to fly me out and even pay for a hotel. She  _ wants _ me there. I just don’t know if I should be.” Greg’s voice wavers, and he wipes away a stray tear. “Thank you for your time.”

He stepped away from the stand and sat back in a chair. His sponsor, Barry clapped a hand on his shoulder and gave him a meaningful look. Greg nodded and turned back to front to listen to a newcomer for the night, telling her tale of when she decided enough was enough. He wanted to listen, usually he did intently, but tonight all he could think about was Rebecca.

After the closing of the meeting, Greg hung back to help clean up. It was mindless busy work, but it made him feel better. His group had been good to him, the least he could do was help with the clean up.

“Are you going to go?” A voice said behind him. He turned to see the newcomer he could barely focus on standing behind him. She was taller, meeting his gaze almost dead on with long red hair and piercing green eyes. Her voice was coarse, as though she’d smoke hundreds of cigarettes in her lifetime, but her expression was warm and inviting.

“I think so.” He shrugged. “I can’t not go.” He’d come to the conclusion a couple times but had talked himself out of it every time. He wanted to be there for her, he did. It was a week away now and there was nothing stopping him, technically.

“You can exactly just not go. You don’t need to take on that emotional burden just to make her feel better.” She reasoned with him. “Your goals right now are to stay sober and graduate. She’s an obstacle you’ve already overcome.”

Greg didn’t respond, pensive on the newcomer’s words. He finished stacking the chairs before turning to face her. “If I don’t go, I know I’ll regret it. The only thing I’ve overcome is leaving her behind for now. But its always been, ‘for now.’ In the back of my head, I know the goal has always been to go back to her.”

“And this is your last chance.” She mused, following his train of thought. Silence fell between them as he continued to clean the room, throwing away abandoned paper coffee cups and small paper plates. It seemed like she was studying him and he couldn’t help but be reminded of Heather. “My name is Blair, by the way.” She said finally. “I like you Greg, you seem like a smart guy. I just hope you’re not falling back into self destructive tendencies.”

He laughed under his breath, scoffing at the implication that anything to do with Rebecca wasn’t self destructive. “At the very least, I have to be there for her fiance. He’s been my best friend since I was five.”

“Doesn’t sound like a very good friend to me.” Blair shrugged at him. She pulled out her wallet from her purse and pulled out a business card. “Here, I know this is probably just me being nosy, but keep me updated if you do go. I’m intrigued by all of…” she gestured at his entire self, “ _ this _ . Maybe we can get some coffee when you get back.”

Greg smiled, taking the card out of her hand.  _ Blair Donovan, tattoo artist. Nevermore Studio  _ followed by her phone number. “Tattoo artist huh?” He asked. “Alright, I’ll shoot you a text, let you know what chaos entails. I’ll… see you around alright?” He grabbed his hoodie and headed for the door.

“You take care Greg. Try not to get sucked into that tornado.” She called after him.

He walked to his favorite post-meeting coffee shop  **_Bunch of Beans_ ** . The first time he’d seen the name he glared dangerously at his sponsor Barry, who only shook his head and gestured him inside. It quickly became his favorite little shop, mainly for it being open 24/7 hours, but also the relaxed nature and half decent coffee. Pulling open the large wooden door, he wasn’t surprised to see quite a few of his friends from the meeting laughing and talking in the large booth in the corner. He nodded to them with a smile as he approached the counter and ordered his usual. White chocolate mocha with a drizzle of caramel. Decadent and sweet, it was a drink Heather had introduced him to during their short foray together. He’d liked Heather a lot but she could see through his bullshit and called him on it.

Suddenly, like a ton of bricks a realization hit him.

Maybe he should call Heather. 

It seemed so obvious as soon as it dawned on him. She was surprisingly wise when it came to him and Rebecca. Maybe she knew what he should do.

He grabbed his coffee and headed to an isolated booth away from his friends. They waved him over but he held up his phone and shrugged, insinuating he had a call to make. Taking a warm sip of the liquid sugar he’d ordered, he scrolled to her disgruntled face and clicked on the phone icon. 

_ Trill… _

_ Trill… _

_ Trill… _

_ Trill.— _

“Uhm, hello?” The familiar monotone voice asked across the line. 

“Hey Heather. It’s Greg.” He told her, anxiety reaching over him. This time he didn’t have the out of hoping for the other person to make the conversation. If he thought Heather was going to do all the talking, then he may as well hang up now.

“Yeah, I know. I don’t know if your phone does it, but mine has Caller ID.” She said plainly. Greg can’t help but laugh softly to himself.

“Right…” He said sarcastically. “Are you busy at the moment? I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“I mean, I was gonna get up and go get burritos but it’s probably better if I didn’t, Rebecca is out in the living room going insane trying to plan this wedding by herself.”

“Wait, you and Rebecca live together?” He asked, genuinely surprised. He had never even imagined her caring enough to move out of her parents house.

“Yeah, well, after you left Rebecca almost burnt down her apartment so I thought she might need someone… around.” Greg felt a pang of guilt at her words.

“God, I’m so sorry.” He murmured into the phone, rubbing his bridge of his nose.

“Yeah, well, you did what you had to do. She got over it more or less.” Heather told him flatly. “I know you didn’t call to ask about my living situation, what did you want to talk about?”

“I got an invitation to Rebecca’s wedding.” He said, his tone devoid of any emotion.

“Fuck, I told her not to send that to you.” Heather swore into the line and Greg was sure he could hear the eye roll on the other side.

“I’m trying to figure out if I should go.” He admitted sheepishly.

“Uh, no? Unless you wanna watch the train wreck in person. Are you sure you can handle that? You really loved Rebecca. You seem to forget this a lot, but you dicked me over for her.”

“Yes, Heather, I remember.” Greg assured her, exasperated. “I don’t know. I want to be there for her. Before I was in love with her, we were friends. Kind of. I mean, we were mean to each other mostly, but we were friends. Plus, Josh is my best friend.”

“Look Greg, I don’t know why I have to be the one to tell a smart guy like you this, but Josh is a shit friend. He knew you were with Rebecca and swooped right in there to ‘save the day’ the moment you ‘messed up.’ I don’t know why you keep forgiving him.”

Greg was silent on his end, contemplative. It was true, most of the time he couldn’t stand Josh. They were friends truly by the sheer happenstance of being born in the same town. If he was brutally honest with himself, the thought of seeing Josh was the biggest part of him just wanting to stay in Atlanta.

“Look Greg, you don’t want to be there for Josh.” Heather told him plainly. “You want to see Rebecca, don’t you?”

“I do. But, at the same time I really don’t. I don’t want to have to walk away from her again. I don’t know if I can do it twice.” He admitted, his voice suddenly thick with the emotion that he’d be trying so hard to hold off.. “Is… I mean, is she happy?”

“Greg, I don’t know. She acts happy. I know she wants to see you though.” She told him softly. He’s grateful, albeit surprised by her tenderness. “Come or don’t, do what’s good for you.”

“I'm just worried I’ll regret it if I don’t go.” He confessed.

“Then come. Or don’t. I’m not going to tell you what to do Gregory.”

“Gee thanks Heather. Did you turn over a new leaf or something?” He asked, immediately regretting the bitterness of his tone. 

“Look, I just don’t think it’s my place to say when I haven’t seen you in months.” She retorted sharply.

“I gotta go Heath. I’ll probably see you there.” He said, purposely using her nickname as one last shallow jab.

“Hopefully you can find the time for one extra syllable before I see you next.” Heather said flatly. “Take as much time as you need.” He could practically taste the venom in her words.

“Bye Heather.” He retorted. He tossed his phone on the table in front of him. Frustrated, he pressed his face into his hands until he saw stars. He felt the table jostle in front of him, and looked up to see Barry sitting across from him. 

“What’s going on buddy?” He asked him, his face filled with concern.

“Nothing.” Greg groaned, stretching in the seat. His impulses were telling him to text Rebecca, but with Barry sitting across from him giving him that look of… concern. It was almost sickeningly endearing. He sat his phone down, eyeing the man sitting across from him apprehensively.

“I was just concerned.” Barry insists. “I heard you during group, and you looked upset during that phone call. I wouldn’t be a good sponsor if I wasn’t there for you would I?”

Greg stared at the man across him, internally warring against annoyance and appreciation. “I called an impartial friend. It assured me of what I wanted because she told me exactly what I didn’t want to hear.”

“And what was that exactly?” Barry asked, taking a sip of his coffee. Greg sighed, looking down into his coffee cup, wishing it were a bit more Irish.

“She, uh, told me I shouldn’t go.” He admitted, trying not to sound as disappointed as he felt. “I guess she’s right. I shouldn’t torture myself for no reason but-“

“You still love her.” Barry interrupted him.

“I never stopped.” Greg shrugged. 

“Look, Rebecca wants you there, you want to go. Just… be careful. Call me if things get too tough.” Barry told him confidently. “You’re stronger than you and your friend give you credit for.”

Greg contemplated a moment before nodding. Excusing himself, he said his goodbyes and left the cafe. He pulled up Rebecca’s number, pressing the call button with confidence.

_ Trill… _

_ Tr— _

“Greg?” Rebecca said, voice practically bubbling with excitement.

“Hey Bunch, I moved some things around, and I’ll be able to make it after all.” He told her a lot smoother than he expected.

Rebecca squealed with delight on the other end of the line. “Oh I’m so happy! I can’t wait to see you! This day just keeps getting better and better!”

“Oh?” Greg asked, annoyed.

“Valencia offered to take over the planning for the wedding! If I’m honest, I was in way over my head trying to do a DIY wedding.” She gushed. He couldn’t help but laugh at the thought of Heather locking in herself in her room for no reason.

“Wait, Valencia is planning yours and Josh’s wedding? Don’t you think that’s a bit… cruel? Also, when did you two become friends?” Greg asked, completely stunned. 

“Well, Josh and I broke up when you… well anyway we needed to do some healing so we went to Electric Mesa!” She told him excitedly.

“Electric Mesa? Am… am I supposed to know what that means?” He asked, getting more confused by the minute.

“Greg!” She whined. “It’s San Gabriel Valleys answer to Burning Man!”

“Did you get that right out of the brochure or…?” He teased. 

“It was great. We accidentally did wild hallucinogens and then peed all over Josh’s sound equipment — I cannot believe I just told you that.” Rebecca said abruptly and Greg could almost feel the red from her cheeks through his phones.

“Well that’s… a thing that happened.” He said hesitantly, ignoring all of the red flags popping up at once. “How did that turn into marriage?” He heard himself asking, kicking himself for it almost immediately.

“I sent him some soup when his poopy girlfriend wouldn’t take care of him and he realized I was the only one who ever cared enough to take care of him so he rushed over immediately and professed his love to me! So romantic, right?!” She told him, practically bursting at the seams. Greg could feel his jealousy taking over almost instantaneously and it was all he could do to fight it back down.

“Well, I’m happy for you.” He said, tone full of false excitement. “Finally getting everything you ever wanted I take it?”

“Of course!” She shouted in his ear, followed by what sounded to him like forced, raucous laughter. “He’s the man of my dreams, what don’t I have to be happy about?” Daggers pierced through Greg’s heart and it was all he could do not to cancel on her right then and there. No. He told himself he would see it through. Closure or something.

God he’s an idiot.

They chatted a little while longer before Rebecca was called away to some wedding planning thing. He was grateful in that moment because he didn’t think he could stand to hear her prattle on about  _ how amazing Josh was _ for another second.

Still, a small voice in his brain pointed out how she kept repeating it, over and over. Almost like she was reminding herself. The small voice also pointed out how unhappy she sounded, even through her cheery demeanor.

That small voice could suck it.


End file.
